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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · field · cap · bore · board · ground · mug · kid

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a committee
  20. kid — child
  21. ground — a position
  22. bore — to drill
  23. board — to get on
  24. bore — to tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com